Information AboutDarling Downs |
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The Landscape is dominated by rolling hills covered by pastures of many different Vegetable s, Legume s and other crops including Cotton , Wheat , Barley and Sorgum . Between the farmlands there are long stretches of crisscrossing roads, bushy ridges, winding creeks and many herds of cattle. There are farms with Beef and Diary cattle, Pig s, Sheep and Lamb stock. Other notable features include Irrigation systems, windmills serving as Bore pumps to get water from the Great Artesian Basin , light planes Crop -dusting, a rusty old Woolshed and other scattered remnants from a bygone era of early exploration and settlement. The principal town is Toowoomba about 140 km west of Brisbane . Other towns situated on the Downs include Roma , Warwick , Oakey , Mitchell , Pittsworth , Allora , Clifton , Cecil Plains , Millmerran , Nobby and Dalby . The New England Highway and the Warrego Highway traverse the region. The region is popular with tourists because of its many natural and heritage attractions, including the Goomburra State Forest and the Queen Mary Falls near Killarney in the Main Range National Park . On the northern boundaries of the Downs are the Bunya Mountains and the Bunya Mountains National Park . To the south lie the rocky formations of the Granite Belt and the Dumaresq and the MacIntyre rivers. HISTORY Cunningham's Gap and the Darling Downs were first explored by Allan Cunningham in 1827. Patrick Leslie was the first person to settle on the Darling Downs in 1840, establishing a Sheep property at Toolburra on the Condamine River . An early and still thriving homestead called Canning Downs was built in 1846. Other well-established residences on the southern downs include Jondaryan Homestead , Glengallan Homestead, Pringle Cottage and Roenthal Homestead. Spicer's Gap Road opened up the area in the 1850's. Gold was found in the district around this time, however it was agricultural activity that provided for the boom times ahead. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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